


New Me

by FireOpal (Raven_At_The_Writing_Desk)



Series: Random Cayrd and Frias [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, Mystery, Original Character(s), Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 18:56:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17730743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven_At_The_Writing_Desk/pseuds/FireOpal
Summary: Cayrd and Frias go to help a friend who appears to be haunted. Can they break the curse before it kills them?





	New Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is part 2 of a 12-month short story challenge.

“She’s just an old friend,” Cayrd smiled softly at the pout Frias gave him. Adorable as it was, Cayrd understood it was the result of Frias’ insecurity at the newness of their relationship. Even exchanging ‘I-love-you’s’ didn’t erase the worry there might be someone else. But this was just what he’d said it was.

  
Frias crossed his arms and turned slightly away from Cayrd in the bed. Cayrd sighed and shifted closer under the covers.

  
“She called me because she needs help,” He said. “And she must be scared ta reach out ta me.” Which made him even more interested in the situation. Maurine didn’t scare easily, and he wanted to see what could spook her. 

“So yer just gonna go run ta her?” Frias huffed. Cayrd grinned this time. Frias cracked a small smile and Cayrd knew he was just acting now. 

“Ya really jealous?” He asked kissing on Frias' neck. Frias tried to look upset again but chuckled instead as Cayrd’s beard tickled him. 

“More worried really,” Frias sighed the admission. “Ah know ya can handle yerself, but I don’t like ya ta be in danger without me.” 

Cayrd nuzzled Frias again. “You can come with me. Two would be better than one.” And he liked having Frias with him on missions. Frias was a competent fighter and a medic. He could kill and heal. It was a useful combo.

“Ah’d love ta come with ya!” Frias’ face brightened and Cayrd had a moment to wonder if that was what Frias wanted the whole time. Then Frias kissed him, and his mind had other things to focus on.

***

“Ghosts?” Cayrd didn’t bother to hide his disbelief. The look Maurine gave him could have killed a lesser man. 

“You think I would do that to my own flesh and blood?” She pointed at her child, Tybeth. Cayrd looked at the Bright orange child with wavy purple hair. The coloration of Maurine and Tybeth was normal for their species, the angry blue gash on Tybeth’s cheek wasn’t. 

Frias sat with the little one using some kind of glue to hold the gash closed. He looked upset and Cayrd knew his culture valued children too much to ever hurt them. He worried it gave Frias a bad impression of Maurine.

“Alright,” Cayrd held up a hand. “How long has this been going on?”

“About three months, but it’s never been this bad,” Maurine pressed her blue painted lips together and looked at Tybeth again. “It was just, knocking and moaning,” she waved a hand. “I ignored it all because I’m not a fool. Then things began going missing. Then, things began to attack us.”

Cayrd frowned as Maurine tired to hide the tremble of her lip. She wasn’t prone to tears. She must be close to her wit's end to be this vulnerable in front of him. 

“Has anything changed in yer life recently?” Frias asked. He’d fished patching up Tybeth and walked to them. Cayrd knew Frias’ people were more open to these kinds of ideas. “Have ya lost any loved ones?” 

Maurine shook her head. “No, my family disowned me a long time ago.” 

“Daddy,” Tybeth said. Everyone looked at them. “He’s gone now.” 

“Gone?” Cayrd asked Maurine.

“He’s alive, baby,” She nodded reassuringly at Tybeth, then turned to Cayrd and Frias whispering. “Hiben left us a few months back. Walked out with another woman. Said he needed a ‘New Me’ or something stupid like that.”   
A loud banging noise made all of them jump. Maurine ran for Tybeth. Cayrd and Frias drew blasters, looking around. The noise came from all around them like the entire house was vibrating from giant blows. Cayrd felt a prickle on his skin, like too much electricity in the air.

“The Hells?” The noise made Cayrd jumpy but Frias seemed to zero in on something in the corner. 

“This is how it starts,” Maurine said over the wailing of her kid.

Cayrd looked around again as Frias began to walk the parameter of the room as the noise died away. 

“I need ta look outside,” Frias said his tone and face stern. “Might be a curse.” He walked out of the house and Cayrd followed. 

“Ya really think she’s haunted?” Cayrd’s came from a mining people. The idea of Tommy-knockers warning of impending tunnel collapses wasn’t unheard of. But outright hauntings? That was just crazy. 

“Haunted means different things ta different people,” Frias shook his head. “But no, I think someone is trying ta hurt her.” Cayrd had the same thought too. “It could be a curse though. I wanna see if there’s any weird markings or dead animals stashed somewhere.” 

Cayrd wasn’t buying a curse either, not a supernatural one anyway. 

“Ah wanna find her ex,” He said. “Ya think ya can keep an eye on things here?” Frias frowned a little but nodded. Cayrd gave him a playful wink and a kiss before he left. 

***

Frias put Maurine and Tybeth in the room with the fewest things that could hurt them. Maurine pointed out things that were missing, and Frias noticed they were all sharp objects. Still, other than the occasional bang and an annoying prickling along his skin, Frias didn’t notice anything strange. 

“Maybe it’s just going to go away this time?” Maurine said right before the scissors flew out the air and stabbed into the bed, missing Tybeth by an inch. Frias lunged up from his seat, he’d seen what he needed, and he knew that was happing now.

***

It took a little longer to find Hiben than Cayrd wanted. He hadn’t been where Maurine thought he would, and the new girlfriend had been reluctant to tell Cayrd where Hiben was. She caved, eventually.

Cayrd found Hiben wired into some kind of contraption. It looked like virtual reality rig, but Cayrd watched as Hiben made a grabbing gesture, pulling a pair of scissors out of thin air. He threw them and the scissors vanished again. Cayrd paused, confused.

Then Frias’ hand shot up through the exact spot the scissors had vanished, followed by his spiky pink hair. Cayrd didn’t need further explanation at that moment, he just needed to pull Frias through before something happened.

Hiben jerked back as Cayrd yanked Frias free. He pulled his VR goggles off his face and stared at Frias open-mouthed.

“How? Who!”

Frias didn’t wait further, He lunged, hunting knife in hand, and buried it into Hiben’s chest. Cayrd looked back down where Frias had come through and saw nothing but the floor. 

Cayrd looked over the VR rig, seeing the massive modifications now. Hiben had attached a portal device, and Cayrd could see how he’d tuned it to focus on Maurine's house. It explained the strong buzzing feeling he’d felt earlier. He looked over at Frias and the now dead Hiben.

“He was aiming fer the kid,” Frias stood up wiping his knife off.

“His girlfriend said he was trying to get rid of his old family so they could start their own.” Cayrd came over to rest a hand on Frias’ shoulder. 

Frias shook his head sadly. “Ah guess it’s Maurine who gets the fresh start now.”


End file.
